Category: Public Health News

All parents want their children to achieve A pluses inside and outside of the classroom. We believe that the key is concentration and focus. What determines a child’s creativity and excellence is his ability to find the fun in what he does, thus finding the capability to endure the tasks they perform. Thus, children need a healthy ‘bigger’ brain. Yes, size matters here.
The brains of children who are overweight and have other metabolism disorders are smaller than those of healthy children, and are not as functional.

It’s reported that in 2013 over 10% of American students are diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). The main cause for this phenomenon is insulin resistance. Insulin resistance not only causes diabetes and obesity, but also distraction, and mental and emotional instability, all leading to poor academic achievements, personality difficulties, and eventually unhealthy lifestyles.

Processed food, junk food, and food additives coupled with excessive calories, insufficient physical activity, and too much time with television and computers all lead to insulin resistance, then on to diabetes and obesity, and even Alzheimer’s disease (in children!).

These children experience both hyperglycemia (too much blood sugar) and hypoglycemia (too little blood sugar) at different times of the day. In hyperglycemia, children cannot sit still even for a short period of time, and cannot focus on anything. In hypoglycemia, they just have no energy to do anything, and obviously left with little capability to study. Their focus floats in and out, and their time is spent day dreaming. Mood swings, hostile attitudes are also seen. Chronic fatigues develop with a craving for extremely violent and sexually stimulating computer games.

What to do to give children big healthy brains (Contact us for free DVD “How to Fight Childhood Obesity” for more information)

Minimize screen (TV, computer games) times. Earphones and headsets are to be removed.

Avoid giving them the same foods too often. A variety of tastes is very helpful for brain development. Let the children experience wide variety of tastes from many different food sources.

Avoid using anti-biotics. Be careful about vaccines with mercury and aluminum preservatives.

Make them consume dairy products that are rich in probiotics and Bifido Bacterium Infantis to have healthy fauna regrow in intestines. Eleotin® Neuro Health treatment or Eleotin® Detox program is very helpful.

Use Epsom salt for baths, and make them drink enough water before taking the bath to remove heavy metals.

Make them take enough Vitamin A and B.

Let them sleep in a dark and silent place for a better quality sleep.

Make them have a big breakfast and small vegetable-oriented dinner.

Let the children set their own goals for study. Not the parents. Let the children set their own schedules for studying and playing. Give them many small goals. Rather than “be good at math”, give them such goals like “When are you going to do the first half of the homework?…etc” Goals that are too big and vague will discourage them.

Do not nag too much. Yes. We are talking about you. Do not compare your children with other children. From time to time, change their study environment. For example, have them study at the library instead of at home.

Make them use both hands.

Let the children videotape how they study. (Never use this to monitor them. Use this only to make them believe how cool they look when they focus on something difficult). Let them enjoy (or show off) their brain powers in such a way like displaying their Bible verse memory, and mental math capability.

How to strengthen the brain even further?

Eleotin® Neuro-health treatment is developed for the brain health of both adults and children:

1) World’s No.1 doctor recommended all natural formula approved by Health Canada and FDA’s of a few other countries. 100% Safe for normal children. Recommended by several medical Associations. Lowers insulin resistance and Prevents several metabolism disorders.

2) Good for blood vessel health in brain. Safe and good for brain blood circulation.

3) The healthy fiber in celery and aloe formula miraculously and gently expands, and sweeps old feces and other harmful substances out of the body. This healthy fiber also reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. Healthy fauna regrows in guts.

If you’re looking for a natural way to help control your blood sugar levels, think spicy. A new study from Chinese researchers found that daily supplementation with compounds found in the spice turmeric can improve blood sugar levels in people who have type 2 diabetes.

Turmeric has several important components

Curcumin, a major component of turmeric, is usually the ingredient people most associated with providing health benefits. In fact, curcumin has been the subject of scores of studies suggesting it can be helpful in fatty liver disease, Alzheimer’s disease, tendinitis, and Rift Valley Fever virus, among other conditions.

In this newest study, researchers from Harbin Medical University and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention evaluated the ability of curcuminoids to reduce levels of free fatty acids (FFAs) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Curcuminoids is the general term for curcumin and its extracts, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin.

Free fatty acids have an important role in the development of insulin resistance. Therefore, if individuals can lower their FFA levels, they hopefully will also reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes or better manage the disease should they already have it.

The 100 patients in the study were given either 300 mg per day of curcuminoids or placebo for three months. At the end of three months, the patients in the curcuminoid group, when compared with those in the placebo group, experienced a significant decline in

Blood glucose levels

Hemoglobin A1c

Insulin resistance

Free fatty acids

The authors of the study noted that “this is the first study to show that curcuminoids may have an anti-diabetic effect by decreasing serum fatty acid possibly through the promotion of fatty acid oxidation and utilization.”

Other natural ways to treat diabetes
This new study is not the first time turmeric and curcumin have been noted to benefit people with diabetes. In fact, a recent study published in Diabetes Care reported that curcumin may help prevent the progression of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.

The individuals with prediabetes took either placebo or 250 mg of curcuminoids for nine months. At the end of the trial, 16.4% of 116 patients in the placebo group had developed type 2 diabetes compared with none of the 119 patients in the curcumin group.

Cinnamon has demonstrated an ability to reduce fasting blood glucose levels. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, individuals with type 2 diabetes who took either 120 mg or 360 mg of cinnamon daily for three months experienced significantly lower glucose levels than did patients in the placebo group.

Another natural approach to managing type 2 diabetes may come in the form of beneficial bacteria. A recent study in Frontiers of Endocrinology suggested probiotics may be helpful in controlling obesity in this population.

The authors of the latest study from China note that the amount of curcuminoids necessary to provide the benefits seen in their research is more than people can include in their diet. Therefore they “suggest that it is better to take curcuminoids as a supplement” if you have type 2 diabetes and want to improve blood sugar levels.

Friday July 27, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) — A person living with type 2 diabetes mellitus may be at 80 percent increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer, compared to those who do not have the disease, according to a retrospective cohort study published June 25, 2012 in Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism.

K. G. Brodovicz of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. in Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA. and colleagues looked at data from a the U.K. General Practice Research Database to associate pancreatic cancer incidence and risk with the status of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The study involved 1903 cases incident pancreatic cancer of which 439 were found in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 1467 found in patients with diabetes mellitus. The incidence of pancreatic cancer in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients was 78.76 per 100,000 person-years, compared to 11.46 per 100,000 person-years.

Having type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with 80 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer. The pancreatic cancer riskalso increased with increasing age, history of chronic pancreatitis and tobacco use.

Having chronic pancreatitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus together could boost the risk by 12 times and the incidence was highest among patients who lived with type 2 diabetes mellitus over five years.

Diabetes mellitus affects an estimated 24 million Americans. There is no cure for the disease but with western medicine, the condition can be controlled. The disease can cause serious complications.

Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease. About 4.4 percent patients ever lived over 5 years after diagnosis.

Supplements containing a compound found in curry spice may help prevent diabetes in people at high risk, according to a Thai study.

Researchers, whose results were published in the journal Diabetes Care, found that over nine months, a daily dose of curcumin seemed to prevent new cases of diabetes among people with so-called prediabetes – abnormally high blood sugar levels that may progress to full-blown type 2 diabetes.

Curcumin is a compound in turmeric spice. Previous lab research has suggested it can fight inflammation and so-called oxidative damage to body cells. Those two processes are thought to feed a range of diseases, including type 2 diabetes.

“Because of its benefits and safety, we propose that curcumin extract may be used for an intervention therapy for the prediabetes population,” wrote study leader Somlak Chuengsamarn of Srinakharinwirot University in Nakomnayok, Thailand.

The study included 240 Thai adults with prediabetes who were randomly assigned to take either curcumin capsules or a placebo. The ones taking curcumin took six supplement capsules a day, each of which contained 250 milligrams of “curcuminoids”.

After nine months, 19 of the 116 placebo patients had developed type 2 diabetes. That compared with none of the 119 patients taking curcumin.

The researchers found that the supplement seemed to improve the function of beta-cells, which are cells in the pancreas that release the blood sugar-regulating hormone insulin. They speculate that the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin help protect beta-cells from damage.

But a diabetes expert not involved in the study said it’s still too early for people to head to the health food store for curcumin supplements.

“This looks promising, but there are still a lot of questions,” said Constance Brown-Riggs, a certified diabetes educator and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The trial lasted only nine months, and it’s already known from longer-lasting, larger trials that lifestyle changes — including calorie-cutting and exercise — can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes.

Brown-Riggs added that consumers can’t be sure that a product actually contains the ingredients, or the amount of ingredient, listed on the label.

“If I was talking to a patient about this, I’d say concentrate on eating healthy and overall lifestyle,” she said.

An analysis of fossilized Native American feces shows that our ancestors ate up to sixteen times the fiber that we do today, but our stomachs didn’t evolve to fit our changing diets.

The findings come from analysis of fossilized feces dating from A.D 1123 and earlier. They reveal that the ancient Native Americans lived on a heavily fibrous diet of prickly pear, yucca, and seeds, with low impact on blood sugar.

The native people of Arizona ate foods with traditionally very low glycemic indexes, but are now more susceptible to type 2 diabetes than Caucasians, for their bodies do not produce enough insulin to break down the sugar in modern foods. The Native populations were extremely efficient in their calorie intake, but the arrival of Europeans caused their diet to change faster than their bodies could keep up with, and their digestive systems didn’t evolve to handle foods with a high glycemic index.

Modern humans of all ethnicities have suffered from this dietary change.

Modern agriculture favors plants with less fiber than what our ancestors ate, and it is nearly impossible to reach the same fiber intake levels of ancient populations. “It’s kind of like going from chewing on pumpkin seeds to chewing on oatmeal” says Karl Reinhard, professor of forensic sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The diet found in the fossils of Southwestern America is likely similar to what people ate the whole world over before humans invented agriculture and cultivation of wheat, millet, rice, and other grains.

“When I was a young researcher, I tried to replicate this diet, and it was impossible. I was essentially eating all day to try to get this fiber,” said Reinhard.

While our diets have changed to favor calorie intake, our stomachs remain built to handle an abundance of fiber. This sheds light on why some populations are more prone to diabetes in modern times than others and why there has been an epidemic in diabetes for modern populations.

Type 2 diabetes risk reduced through physical activity in lean and obese people

Study after study has shown that exercise keeps you healthy. Still, the rates of obesity and diabetes continue to grow. Once again, researchers have shown that staying active cuts diabetes risk.

People who exercised more had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, no matter how fat they were when the study began.

Obesity and low levels of physical activity boost the risk of diabetes. Luckily, these two factors can be changed.

Past studies have suggested that higher levels of physical activity may lower the risk of diabetes, regardless of whether someone is obese or not. However, according to UlfEkelund, PhD, of the University of Cambridge, and colleagues, few of these previous studies looked at large populations.

Many of these past studies examined the effects of physical activity in men only, or women only. They also tended to separate participants into only two activity groups (active versus inactive) or two weight groups (obese versus non-obese).

Dr. Ekelund and colleagues looked at the relationships between physical activity and body fat in men and women of varying weights, and how these relationships affected diabetes risk.

They found that physical activity was linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes for people across all categories of body mass index, or BMI (a measure of body fat using height and weight).

Participants were grouped into four groups based on how much they exercised: inactive, moderately inactive, moderately active, and active. They were also split into three weight groups: normal-weight (BMI of less than 25), overweight (BMI of 25 to 30) and obese (BMI of 30 or more).

For men, just a one-category improvement in physical activity was associated with a 13 percent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. For women, a one-category difference was associated with a 7 percent reduced risk.

Lower levels of physical activity raised the risk of diabetes in both men and women, regardless of their amount of abdominal fat.

However, the increased risk linked to low levels of physical activity was lower in abdominally obese women than in women with less abdominal fat.

These results suggest that the amount people exercise may predict the development of type 2 diabetes. Those who exercise more have the ability to significantly reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes, no matter how skinny or obese they are.

According to the authors, promoting physical activity could help prevent type 2 diabetes.

The study – which included 12,403 cases of type 2 diabetes – was funded by the European Union and the Medical Research Council, UK.

Vitamin D has been associated with healthy bones and a new study is giving researchers an idea of how much is needed to prevent fractures in an older person. 75% of fractures occur in people age 65 and older. The worldwide incidence of hip fractures is expected to increase by 240% among women and 310% among men by 2050.

Vitamin D supplementation is a highly touted method to prevent fractures. During the study, researchers measured the effects of Vitamin D supplementation according to each subject’s actual intake. The researchers compiled data from 11 double-blind, randomized control trials of vitamin D supplementation in people 65 or older daily, weekly or every four months — with or without calcium — as compared with placebo or calcium alone.

The study included 31,022 people. The average age of the subjects was 76. 91% of the study’s participants were women. The study counted 1,111 hip fractures (4% of participants) and 3,770 non-vertebral fractures (12%).

The study concluded vitamin D supplementation at high doses “was somewhat favourable” in preventing fractures. The study suggests 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily may reduce the risk of hip and bone fractures. Taking 800 IU of Vitamin D or more daily decreased the risk of hip fracture by 30% and the risk of other bone fractures by 14%.

The study also found that taking less than 800 IU daily, with or without calcium, had no effect on bone-fracture risk when compared with taking a placebo or a calcium supplement alone. Dr. Heike Bischoff-Ferrari of the Center on Aging and Mobility at the University of Zurich says the study could have major public health implications. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Dr. Robert P. Heaney, M.D., professor of endocrinology at Creighton University, said there is no shortage of studies probing the benefits of vitamin D, but the latest findings may help explain why previous studies have produced conflicting results. He said, “There has been more ink spilled over the efficacy of vitamin D than over that of most nutrients, with the possible exception of sodium. All of the problems with previous studies come from a very modest dose of vitamin D. If you don’t give [study subjects] enough of the vitamin D, then you won’t see an effect.” He added, “It would appear to be prudent, and probably helpful as well, to ensure an intake at the upper end of the range,” given the latest findings.

UCSF study shows increased complications compared to non-diabetics

Women with diabetes are just as likely to be interested in, and engage in, sexual activity as non-diabetic women, but they are much more likely to report low overall sexual satisfaction, according to a UCSF study.

The researchers also found that diabetic women receiving insulin treatment were at higher risk for the specific complications of lubrication and orgasm. “Diabetes is a recognized risk factor for erectile dysfunction in men, but there have been almost no data to indicate whether it also affects sexual function in women,” said senior author Alison J. Huang, MD, MAS, of the UCSF Women’s Health Clinical Research Center and an assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Medicine.

Huang, lead author Kelli Copeland, BA, of the UCSF Women’s Health Clinical Research Center, and their colleagues sought to examine the relationship of diabetes to sexual function in an ethnically diverse group of middle-aged and older women.

The disease has the potential to affect sexual function in women through a variety of mechanisms. These include vascular changes in the urogenital tissues affecting lubrication, and alterations in genital arousal response. Sexual function also may be adversely affected by diabetes medications or other interventions directed at monitoring or treating the disease, according to the research team.

The researchers sent a questionnaire to 2,270 women aged 40 to 80 years who were insulin-treated diabetic, non-insulin-treated diabetic or non diabetic women, and then compared their self-reported sexual desire, frequency of sexual activity, overall sexual satisfaction, and specific sexual problems (difficulty with lubrication, arousal, orgasm, or pain). They also assessed the relationships between diabetic end-organ complications (heart disease, stroke, renal dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy) and sexual function.

Among the 2,270 participants, 486 (21.4 percent) had diabetes, and, of those, 139 (6.1 percent) were taking insulin. Overall, 63.7 percent of participants reported some sexual activity in the past three months. The odds of reporting low overall sexual satisfaction were more than two-fold higher in insulin-treated diabetic women, and more than 40 percent higher in non-insulin treated diabetic women, compared to non-diabetic women.

No significant differences in sexual desire or frequency of sexual activity by diabetes status were observed, after the investigators took into account other differences in participants’ demographic background and medical histories.

Among sexually active women, insulin-treated diabetic women were more than twice as likely to report difficulty with lubrication, and 80 percent more likely to report difficulty achieving orgasm compared to non-diabetic women, after adjusting for the same demographic and clinical factors.

Among all diabetic women, end-organ complications such as heart disease, stroke, renal dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy were associated with decreased sexual function in at least one domain.

The study did not examine whether the women had Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, but the researchers assume that because of age of diagnosis, and when they started insulin, that the majority of participants had Type 2 diabetes.

Previous studies have suggested that psychological factors, such as depression, play a role in sexual dysfunction among diabetic women. The UCSF team did not assess the impact of depression on female sexual function in this study, but did adjust for antidepressant use among participants since it can worsen sexual function. The team found that relationships between diabetes and sexual function were independent of anti-depression therapy.

Diabetes is a common chronic condition in the United States. According to the American Diabetes Association, 12.6 million or 10.8 percent of all women aged 20 years or older have diabetes.

“Based on this research, clinicians may want to consider assessing diabetic women for sexual problems, particularly among those taking insulin, and counsel them that prevention of end-organ complications may be important in preserving sexual function,” said Copeland.

The researchers used data from the Reproductive Risks of Incontinence Study at Kaiser 2, comprised of women enrolled in the northern California Kaiser system, in addition to the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Diabetes Registry.

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Co-authors are Jeanette S. Brown, MD, and Leslee L. Subak, MD, of the UCSF Women’s Health Clinical Research Center and the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Jennifer M. Creasman, MSPH, of the UCSF Women’s Health Clinical Research Center; David H. Thom, MD, PhD, of the UCSF Department of Family and Community Medicine; and Stephen K. Van Den Eeden, PhD, and Assiamira Ferrara, MD, PhD, of the Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California.

Funding for the project was provided by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Huang also is supported by an award from the National Institute in Aging and the American Federation for Aging Research. No authors report any potential conflicts of interest related to this research.

UCSF is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care.

SINGAPORE: A local study has found that weight loss in obese men improves erectile function and testosterone levels.

Preliminary findings were revealed after a 24-week study was conducted by Changi General Hospital between June 2010 and July 2011.

According to the preliminary results of the study, all it takes is a five per cent weight loss in obese men to improve their sexual function, as well as reduce urinary tract symptoms.

45 Singaporean obese men took part in the study and they had an average weight loss of five kilogrammes (kg).

The optimal level of exercise for respondents to lose weight was about 250 minutes a week, which works out to about five to seven sessions of moderate to intense exercise.

Sports trainers also customised the exercise programme for respondents according to their preferences.

Participants were also given pedometers with the target of covering 5,000 to 10,000 steps a day.

At the halfway mark, the researchers found that participants’ testosterone levels rose by 20 per cent and they scored an average 16 per cent higher in a questionnaire International Index of Erectile Function that measured sexual confidence, performance and satisfaction.

One of the participants, Mohammad Pauzi, lost 18kg in two months after dieting and exercising.

“In terms of sex life, it’s also improving because I used to have only once or twice or less than that a week. But now the drive is there, the fitness is there, it’s better,” he said.

Doctors said they hope the study will help men understand that obesity can cause erectile dysfunction.

Director of the Diabetes Centre at Changi General Hospital Dr Joan Khoo said: “Many men, instead of lifestyle modifications or weight loss, the first solution is to take medications and some of these medications are dangerous and are not actually licensed.”

Doctors also said obese people have a higher risk of suffering from a range of serious illnesses, such as heart attack, stroke and even cancer.

The best type of exercise to reduce the risk of diabetes and combat obesity-related illness in Maori men is the focus of a Massey University study.

Dr Isaac Warbrick from the School of Sport and Exercise is leading the three-year study involving 40 participants from the Manawatu and Horowhenua region.

They are defined as being aged over 25, inactive, with a body mass index (BMI) over 25 but “outwardly healthy,” Dr Warbrick said. The men will be split into three groups with each assigned a different mode of exercise: resistance (weight) training, cardio (swimming, running, cycling) and a mix of both. They will have group exercise sessions with a trainer for periods of 30 minutes, three times a week for 12 weeks.

“We are ultimately going to assess the impact of that 12 weeks on metabolic health, the risk of diabetes, insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance,” he said.

“But we’ll also measure subjective wellbeing. We’ll be doing qualitative analysis, asking them about their thoughts and preferences towards exercise and physical activity.”

The study will be conducted in three waves with the first group soon to start their exercise programme. It will also evaluate the impact the exercise programme had on overall wellness such as the men’s time with family, mood and outlook.

“It will identify from a physiological standpoint if there is one exercise superior to another, while assessing the impact of exercise participation on overall wellbeing and attitudes towards exercise.”